How Many Hunters Usually Sit the day?

[Geno C]

How many of you guys usually sit the entire day in your stand?

i used to get out of my stand around 1030 and shoot back to the house for lunch. Since i started spending more seat time in my stand and sitting the entire day ive been noticing howmuch deer i actually miss around the time i leave and get back after lunch.

I see a ton of deer movement from between 11 and 1pm.

ive shot a few deer between 12 and 1. So now i make it a point to sit the day as much as i can. Ive been seeing alot more deer the past few years doin it.

just wondering if any others sit all day?

[Doewhacker]

It depends on the spot, our main spot we sit till 11/12, the deer don't start to move there untill 830-930. Other areas we hunt all day due to the size of the property, stand till 9-10 and still hunt the rest of the day.

[NYBowhunter]

I usually sit the entire day depending on conditions and how I feel, seen lots of action when most people would be back home getting some grub. I try to sit all day during the bow season and I usually sit entire day for first few days of rifle and then I will get out for lunch and go back a couple hours later.

[WNYBuckHunter]

For me it also depends on the spot. On state land especially though, I sit all day. Ive seen a ton of deer between 10am and 2pm when other guys are walking in and out of the woods for/from lunch. My private land spots though, I know when the deer usually come through, so I mainly sit for partial days at them. Occasionally though, Ill do an all day sit at those too, the deer change their habits a bit from time to time.

[fasteddie]

I try to sit for the whole day , especially opening day . If there is a wind shift , I may change stands .

[Doc]

Yes, on opening day of gun season I generally make a day of it. It's not my favorite thing to do, but on that day I do find it sometimes (but rarely) pays off. Otherwise a few hours after sunrise and a few hours before sunset pretty much maximizes the time spent.

Doc

[Mr VJP]

I spend every day I am hunting deer, in the woods all day.  I believe the deer move a lot on the opener as hunters start moving into the woods and shooting. 

By 10 AM I think they have found a place to hide and stay there until things quiet down.  That usually occurs as most hunters leave the woods for lunch around 11 or 12 noon.  At this time I see deer, often big bucks, sneaking through the timber, with what looks like deliberate attention to get someplace.  It's as if they got caught in a place they don't want to be when the shooting started.

Once hunters begin to return to the woods after lunch, the deer start moving again and the chances of seeing a deer before dark are good for the rest of the day.

Even after the opener, I find the same facts are true, but to a lesser degree, as a lot of deer have already been taken, or fewer hunters occupy the woods.

[skyzmine]

sometimes i do and sometimes i dont

but i mostly dont,

because i hunt in my back yard and can hunt every day..

[growalot]

on occasion...especially in the Tree lounge....it's like a recliner/cot...but us gals don't have it as easy as you guys :

[bubba]

I have harvested more deer between 10 an noon than any other time.  They seem to move to feed then.  Sometimes I go in around 8 or 9 am and stay until 2 when the other hunters start to move back in

[First-light]

Try to sit all day but if you have back problems it could ruin your hunt. Bring enough food and a couple of hand warmers are a good thing!

[wooly]

Spend the day at it for the most part.......have been known to spend the night on occaision. I tend to pac in quite a bit of crap just in case I need to slip into an area before light.

[Geno C]

i usually sit the whole day almost every time.... i love it, you never know when things can happen and it sometimes happens fast. i had a doe come in who was hot and not 30 minutes later i had a high 120" buck at 30 yards come in on the same trail scent checking for this doe and that was around 12:30. the deer do move in the afternoon, just have to be in the right place at the right time

[Doc]

Dawn to dusk is a long time, and as I said, I can do it on specific days of high hunting pressure. But man, I will tell you that I get awfully bored if too many hours go by without seeing something (even deer that I don't intend to shoot or one that doesn't offer a shot). Seeing a deer somewhere around my stand can help extend my stay, but when nothing is moving, and I am not hearing any shots anywhere, and I know that most of the hunters have charged out of the woods at 9:00 am or earlier to eat breakfast (or have already gone home), It gets impossible for me to tough it out for too many hours. I guess I am lacking in adequate mind games to stay motivated when every sign, sound and sight tells me that I am sitting there alone in the woods and the deer have already been put in a nocturnal survival mode that will not be disturbed unless I do it. There is nothing more boring than the hunter sitting here and the deer bedded there...... all day long.

Doc

[wztirem]

For me it also depends on the spot. On state land especially though, I sit all day. Ive seen a ton of deer between 10am and 2pm when other guys are walking in and out of the woods for/from lunch. My private land spots though, I know when the deer usually come through, so I mainly sit for partial days at them. Occasionally though, Ill do an all day sit at those too, the deer change their habits a bit from time to time.

As I hunt on State Lands,I sit the entire day aglow in blaze orange in a well scouted out location and most oftentimes I see deer and have the opportunity to pick and choose. If I do not see any deer, at least I had the opportunity to savor the experience.

Note: I am scared to death of walking around on State Land during the open firearms season!

[vipertech]

I have done several all day sits.  It's tough.  I have to be in the right frame of mind and I have to be confident in my stand location.  Generally speaking though, I usually do take a mid day break.  Many times I move to one of the other properties unless I've been seeing deer.  Some of my places are better morning spots and others, better evening spots.  So when I'm having a slow day, I'll switch properties. 

When I'm hunting with other people (like my sons) I pretty much always take a mid day break.  To me, using lunch time to talk about what we saw and planning the evening hunt, are all part of the hunting experience.

[Doc]

I agree. I try to keep all this stuff in perspective. It's all recreation, and if I don't get a deer, we probably won't starve to death. I don't really want to turn it into some kind of marathon of endurance ...... lol. Yeah, when I get stubborn enough or confident enough, I have been known to tough it out all day. I'll be honest though, other than opening day of gun season, it has never really paid off yet. I do a lot better by hunting the morning and evening hours and usually wind up hunting a lot more intently and paying attention a whole lot more, and not trying to amuse myself in the mid-day hours with phone gadgets and magazines. I will say one thing though ..... If I didn't live where I hunt or had to drive a long ways to get there, I would be putting in way more full day hunts. No doubt about that!

Doc

[sweet old bill]

not me, except for the opening day of gun.

Being retired:

I got out each day during the season from first light till 9am and then 2 hours prior to dark each day and sit in ground blinds etc...

[wellsley]

I get to my stand at 6am and leave 6pm the first week after that it depends on the conditions.

[SplitG2]

did it one time and never again

[SteveMcD]

I'm in the woods Dawn to Dusk.. depending on conditions and where I am. I may still hunt during mid day. But I spend every available moment in the woods. Sittin' on the couch watching the Outdoor Channel won't put venison in the freezer!

[Doc]

did it one time and never again

That's funny! It's not for everybody. I seldom make a complete day of it. I do try to keep it all in perspective and not get too fanatical.

Doc

[Geno C]

i love sitting the day... i dont even nod off at all either..

ill tell you guys my secret lol

[wellsley]

My feeling on this is simple the deer are out there 24/7 so I spend all the time I can out there. What ever works for  someone is fine. I don't even mind the guys that come up and play cards and drink all day. If that makes them happy more power to them.

[burmjohn]

Mid day hunting is fun, because the rest are moving around.  At a minimum I like to do it on opening weekend of rifle.